System and method for producing medical image data onto portable digital recording media

ABSTRACT

This application discloses a system for recording medical image data for production on a portable digital recording medium such as CDs and DVDs. This system includes a parsing software module operatively configured to: (i) receive medical data (ii) identify an end of a particular patient&#39;s data (iii) parse patient identification information and study information (iv) store the parsed patient identification information and parsed study information; a job processing software module configured to create a job containing medical data, medical data viewing software, and merge data; a disc writer to receive the job, comprising: a recorder configured to record the medical data viewing software and the medical data within the job; and a printer configured to print patient identification information and the study information on the disc.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/942,630, filed on Nov. 19, 2007, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 09/761,795, filed on Jan. 17, 2001, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,302,164, issued Nov. 27, 2007, and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application 60/181,985, filed on Feb. 11, 2000. Theentire disclosure of these priority applications are hereby incorporatedby reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a system and method for the production ofmedical image data on portable digital recording media such as compactdiscs. More particularly, it relates to a system and method forreceiving medical image data, processing medical image data, andtransmitting medical image data to be recorded on a portable digitalrecording medium.

2. Description of the Related Art

Since the invention of the x-ray film, film has been the predominantmultipurpose medium for the acquisition, storage, and distribution ofmedical images. However, the storage and distribution of film oftenrequires considerable expenses in labor and storage space.

Today's modern hospitals utilize computer-aided imaging devices such asComputed Tomography (CT), Digital Subtracted Angiography, and MagneticResonance Imaging (MRI). These digital devices can generate hundreds ofimages in a matter of seconds. Many hospitals require these images to beprinted on film for storage and distribution. To print complete sets ofmedical images from these digital devices, the cost in film material,storage space, and management efforts is often very high.

Some radiology departments have installed digital image storage andmanagement systems known as PACS (Picture Archive CommunicationSystems). PACS are capable of storing a large amount of medical imagedata in digital form. PACS are made by manufacturers including GE,Siemens, and Fuji.

To ease the communication of data, the DICOM (Digital Imaging andCommunications in Medicine) standard was developed by ACR-NEMA (AmericanCollege of Radiology-National Electrical Manufacturer's Association) forcommunication between medical imaging devices and PACS. In addition tothe examined images, patient demographics, and exam information such aspatient name, patient age, exam number, exam modality, exam machinename, and exam date can also be stored and retrieved in DICOM compatibledata format. A DICOM file stores patient and exam information in theheader of the file, followed by the exam images. PACS store medicalimage data in DICOM format.

Digital medical image data can be stored on PACS and distributed usingthe Internet. However, many physicians' offices do not have thebandwidth suitable for fast download of medical image data. The concernsfor medical data privacy and Internet security further reduce thedesirability of Internet distribution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The claimed system allows for digital medical image data to be producedon a portable digital recording medium such as a CD. A CD containing themedical image data can be distributed to physicians, hospitals,patients, insurance companies, etc. One embodiment of the claimed systemallows for medical image data to be placed on a CD along with a viewingprogram, so that a user can use any computer compatible with the CD toview the medical image data on the CD. One embodiment of the claimedsystem allows for searching medical exam data that are related andplacing such data on the same CD.

One embodiment of the claimed system comprises a receiving moduleconfigured to receive medical image data, a processing module configuredto process the received medical image data, and an output moduleconfigured to transmit the processed medical image data to a productionstation configured to produce the transmitted medical image data onportable digital recording medium, such as a CD. In one embodiment, theoutput module transmits a viewing program configured to view medicalimage data to the production station so that the viewing program isproduced on the same CD as the medical image data. In anotherembodiment, the CD already contains the viewing program before themedical image data is transmitted to the CD production station.

In one embodiment of the claimed system, the processing module isconfigured to create and store audit information of the portable digitalrecording medium produced by the production station.

In another embodiment of the claimed system, the processing module isconfigured to identify the originating image input device of thereceived medical image data, and determine, on the basis of theoriginating image input device, whether to transmit the received medicalimage data to a production station. The processing module also selects,on the basis of the originating image input device, one of multipleproduction stations as the target production station.

Yet another embodiment of the claimed system is configured to retrievemedical image data that are related to the received medical image data,and transmit the retrieved related image data to the production station.In one embodiment, exam images of the same patient are consideredrelated. In another embodiment, exam images of the same patient and thesame modality are considered related. For example, two x-ray exams onthe left hand of the same patient are considered related. In yet anotherembodiment, exam images of the same patient, the same modality and takenwithin a specified date range are considered related. For example, twox-ray exams on the left hand of the same patient taken within atwo-month period are considered related. A hospital may also determineother scenarios of relatedness.

One claimed method comprises the steps of connecting a browsing terminalto a computer database configured to store medical image data, selectingmedical image data from medical image data stored on the database, andrecording the selected medical image data on portable digital recordingmedium. In one embodiment, the claimed method also comprises a step ofrecording a viewing program configured to view medical image data on theportable digital recording medium.

One embodiment of the claimed method further comprises the steps offinding and retrieving medical image data that are related to theselected medical image data, and recording related image data toportable digital recording medium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an image production systemcomprising an application server and portable digital recording mediumproduction stations.

FIG. 2 illustrates sample records of one embodiment of an image inputdevice profile table.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process of receiving image data from image server,processing received image data, and transmitting such data to theproduction station. This process also retrieves and transmits relatedimage data for production.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process of a user selecting and ordering theproduction of image data stored on the application server.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process of a user selecting and ordering theproduction of image data stored on the application server, with theoption of selecting and ordering the production of related image data.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of an image production system 100comprising an application server 110 and one or more portable digitalrecording medium production stations 300A, 300B and 300C. In thepreferred embodiment, the production stations 300A, 300B and 300C are CD(Compact Disc) production stations. Digital portable recording mediumcomprises CDs and DVDs (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc).CDs may comprise CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), CD-R (CompactDisc Recordable), and CD-RW (Compact Disc Recordable and Writable). DVDsmay comprise DVD-ROM (DVD Read Only Memory), DVD-R (DVD Recordable) andDVD-RAM (a standard for DVDs that can be read and written many times).Thus, although the following description refers primarily to CDs, thoseof ordinary skill in the art will understand that any suitable portabledigital recording medium can be substituted for CDs.

The application server 110 is connected to one or more physicianbrowsing terminals 400A, 400B and 400C through a computer network 600.Each physician browsing terminal 400A, 400B or 400C comprises a browsingprogram such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator. Physiciansor their assistants launch the browsing program to access theapplication server 110 through the network 600 in order to selectmedical image data stored on the application server database 114 to beproduced by a production station 300A, 300B or 300C. In the preferredembodiment, the physician browsing terminals 400A, 400B and 400C areconnected to the application server through an Intranet. One embodimentof the Intranet utilizes TCP/IP network protocol. The Intranet canconnect one radiology department, multiple departments within ahospital, or multiple hospitals. In another embodiment the browsingterminals 400A, 400B and 400C are connected to the application server110 through the Internet.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the application server 110 is also connectedto an image server 200. The image server 200 is further connected toimage input devices such as PACS 204, MRI machines 206, CT-scan machines208, ultrasound machines 210, etc. In the preferred embodiment, theimage server 200 is a DICOM image server configured to receive and storemedical image data in DICOM format. In operation, the image server 200receives medical image data from image input devices such as PACS 204,MRI machines 206, CT-scan machines 208 and ultrasound machines 210 andstores such image data in the image server database 202. Ahigh-resolution image scanner 500 is also connected to the image server200, so that medical image data stored on film can be scanned on theimage scanner 500, transmitted to the image server 200 and stored in theimage server database 202. In one embodiment, the image scanner 500 alsoconverts the scanned image to DICOM format. The application server 110receives input image data from the image server database 202, processesthe received image data, and sends the image data to one of theproduction stations 300A, 300B or 300C to produce CDs.

The application server 110 comprises a viewing program 112, anapplication server database 114 that stores image data received from theimage server 200, a production history database 116 that stores auditrecords on each CD produced, a display terminal 118 for programming andoperating the application server 110 by a programmer or physician, andan image input device profile table 120.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the viewing program 112 is configured toallow users to read and manipulate medical image data. The viewingprogram 112 comprises multiple image manipulation functions, such asrotating images, zooming in and zooming out, measuring the distancebetween two points, etc. The viewing program 112 also allows users toread the patient demographics and exam information associated with theimage data. The viewing program 112 used in the preferred embodiment isproduced by eFilm Medical Inc. located in Toronto, Canada. The viewingprogram 112 used in the preferred embodiment is an abbreviated versionwith fewer functions and takes less storage space, in order to maximizethe storage space for image data on a CD. The image server 200 used inthe preferred embodiment is also made by eFilm Medical Inc.

The CD production stations 300A, 300B and 300C in the preferredembodiment are produced by Rimage Corporation in Edina, Minn. Detailsabout the Rimage CD production stations can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,542,768, 5,734,629, 5,914,918, 5,946,276, and 6,041,703, which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The application server 110 in the preferred embodiment runs on apersonal computer running a 400 MHz Celeron or Pentium II/III chip, withWindows 98 or NT as the operating system.

FIG. 2 illustrates sample records of one embodiment of an image inputdevice profile table 120. The image input device profile table 120contains a profile record for each image input device. Each image inputdevice's profile record comprises: (1) an “auto-produce” logical field250 indicating whether medical image data from this image input deviceshould be produced on CD automatically by the image production system100, (2) a “target production station” field 252 identifying one of theproduction stations 300A, 300B or 300C on which medical image data is tobe produced, and (3) a “related data storage” 254 field identifying themedical image data storage units in which to search for the relatedimage data. A medical image data storage unit is a storage unit thatstores medical image data and is connected to the application server110. In one embodiment, a medical image data storage unit is connectedto the application server 110 through the image server 200. In thepreferred embodiment, PACS 204 is such a medical image data storageunit.

In FIG. 2, the sample profile table 120 contains profile records for MRIMachine I, MRI Machine II, and Ultrasound Machine I. For MRI Machine I,the “auto-produce” field 250 contains a “yes” value, directing the imageproduction system 100 to automatically produce image data originatingfrom MRI Machine I on portable digital recording medium. Its “targetproduction station” field 252 contains a “Production Station A” value,directing the image production system 100 to produce image dataoriginating from MRI Machine I on production station A. Its “relateddata storage” field 254 is “PACS I”, directing the image productionsystem 100 to retrieve related medical image data from PACS I. For MRIMachine II, the “auto-produce” field 250 is “no”, directing the imageproduction system 100 to not automatically produce image dataoriginating from MRI Machine II on portable digital recording medium.Since image data from MRI Machine II will not be automatically produced,the “target production station” field 252 and the “related data storage”field 254 are irrelevant. For Ultrasound Machine I, the “auto-produce”field 250 is “yes”, and its “target production” filed 252 is “ProductionStation B”. Its “related data storage” field 254 contains a value of“PACS I, PACS II”, directing the image production system 100 to searchPACS I and PACS II for related medical image data.

FIG. 3 illustrates a process of the application server 110 receivingimage data from the image server 200, processing the received imagedata, and transmitting such data to the production station 300A, 300B or300C. The application server 110 continuously monitors the image serverdatabase 202 in step 122. In one embodiment, the application servercontinuously “pings” the network address corresponding to the imageserver 200 on the network that connects the application server 110 withthe image server 200.

Still referring to FIG. 3, the application server 110 determines if theimage server database 202 is changing, in step 124. In the preferredembodiment, the application server 110 makes that determination bydetecting whether the image server database 202 is increasing in size.If there is no change in the image server database 202, then theapplication server 110 returns to step 122 to continue monitoring. Ifthere is change in the image server database 202, then the applicationserver 110 proceeds to step 126 and time-stamps the moment that thechange started. The application server 110 then proceeds to step 128 andwaits for an interval, typically 35 to 65 seconds. After the interval,the application server 110 checks whether the image server database 202is still changing, in step 130. If the image server database 202 isstill changing then the application server 110 returns to step 128 towait for another interval. If the image server database 202 is no longerchanging, then the application server 110 proceeds to step 132 andcopies the data changed since the time-stamped moment. This changed datais copied from the image server database 202 to the application serverdatabase 114.

The application server 110 proceeds to step 134 and finds the inputimage device name or identification number from the newly received imagedata. In the preferred embodiment, image data from the image serverdatabase 202 are stored in DICOM format, and the input image device nameor identification number is stored in the header of the DICOM formatimage data file. The input image device name/ID indicates the origin ofthe newly received data. The application server 110 proceeds to step 136and uses the found input image device name/ID to find a correspondingprofile record in the image input device profile table 120. If theprofile record has an “auto-produce” field 250 with a “no” value, theapplication server 110 returns from step 138 to step 122 to continuemonitoring the image server database 202. If the “auto-produce” field250 contains a “yes” value, the application server 110 proceeds fromstep 138 to step 140, and determines the target production station 300A,300B or 300C from the “target production station” field 252 of theprofile record. In step 140, the application server 110 also determinesthe value in the “related data storage” field 254 of the profile record.

Still referring to FIG. 3, in step 142, the application server 110 sendsa copy of the newly received data, along with a copy of the viewingprogram 112, to the target production station 300A, 300B or 300Cidentified in step 140. With the viewing program attached, the imagedata on each CD produced by the target production station 300A, 300B or300C can be viewed on any computer that accepts the CD, regardless ofwhether that computer has its own viewing program installed. In oneembodiment, the data received in step 132 is stored in the applicationserver database 114 before it is transmitted to the target productionstation 300A, 300B or 300C in step 142. In another embodiment, theapplication server 110 transmits the data received in step 132 to thetarget production station 300A, 300B or 300C, without storing a copy ofthe data in the application server database 114.

In one embodiment, the application server 110 does not send a copy ofthe viewing program 112 to the target production station during step142. Rather, the application server 110 sends a copy of the receivedmedical image data to the production station 300A, 300B or 300C to berecorded on pre-burned CDs. Each pre-burned CD contains a viewingprogram already recorded onto the CD before step 142.

In step 142, the application server 110 also sends configuration data tothe target production station 300A, 300B or 300C. The configuration datacomprises a label-printing file comprising the specification forprinting labels on top of the CDs, and a “number of copies” valueindicating the number of copies of CDs to be produced. A typicalspecification in the label-printing file may specify information such aspatient name, exam modality, hospital name, physician name, productiondate, etc. to be printed by the target production station as a label onthe top of each CD produced.

Still referring to FIG. 3, in step 143, the application server 110searches the application server database 114 for image data related tothe newly received data. The application server 110 then searches thePACS systems identified in the “related data storage” field 254 in step140 for data related to the newly received data. Some PACS systems eachcomprise a primary image data storage and an archive image data storage,and the application server 110 searches both the primary image datastorage and the archive image data storage on these PACS systems. Theapplication server 110 is connected to the PACS systems through theimage server 200. The application server 110 retrieves found relateddata from the PACS systems and stores a copy of such found related datain the application server database 114. The application server 110 sendsa copy of related data that are found from the application serverdatabase 114 or the PACS systems to the target production station 300A,300B or 300C. The medical image data originally received in step 132 andthe related medical image data are produced by the target productionstation 300A, 300B or 300C on the same CDs for comparative study.

For each CD to be produced, the application server 110 adds one auditrecord to the production history database 116 in step 144. The new auditrecord comprises the identification number of the CD and other relevantinformation about the CD, such as the physician who requested theproduction (if any), and the names of the patients whose exam images areon that CD.

Steps 142, 143 and 144 may be executed immediately before, concurrentwith, or immediately after one another.

The target production station 300A, 300B or 300C produces the CDscontaining the medical image data and the viewing program sent to it,and prints a label on top of every CD, corresponding to thespecification in the label-printing file. The number of CDs producedcorresponds to the “number of copies” number sent by the applicationserver 110 in step 142. When the target production station has producedthe CDs, the production station returns a “completed” signal to theapplication server 110. The application server 110 waits for this signalin step 146.

Still referring to FIG. 3, in step 148, the application server 110updates the audit records in the production history database 116 thatwere created in step 144. For each CD produced, the application 110server updates the date and time of production for that CD's auditrecord. The application server 110 also updates the status value forthat CD's audit storage record from “processing” to “successful”. Theapplication server 110 then continues monitoring the image serverdatabase 202 as in step 122.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process of a user selecting and ordering theproduction of image data stored on the application server 110. A user,typically a physician or physician's assistant, accesses the applicationserver database 114 from a browsing terminal 400A, 400B or 400Cconnected to a network 600. In one embodiment, the user launches abrowser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Communicator,and specifies a network address corresponding to the application server110, in step 150. In another embodiment, the user clicks a pre-definedicon that directly launches a browser connecting to the applicationserver 110. The application server 110 prompts the user to enter apassword or an identification name coupled with a password, in step 152.The application server 110 checks if the entered identification/passwordis authorized in step 154. If the entered identification/password is notauthorized the user is returned to step 152 to re-enter theidentification/password, or disconnected from the application server110. If the entered identification/password is authorized then the useris allowed access to the application server database 114 and theapplication server 110 proceeds to step 156.

Still referring to FIG. 4, in step 156 the user is prompted to select apatient from a list of patients with exam images in the applicationserver database 114. The user is then shown a list of the selectedpatient's exams, and is prompted to select one or more exams of thatpatient, in step 158. When the user indicates that he/she has completedselecting all exams for that patient, the user is asked in step 160whether to select another patient from the list of patients. If the useranswers “yes”, the user is returned to step 156 to select anotherpatient. If the user answers “no”, the user proceeds to step 162.

In another embodiment, when a user selects a patient, all examsbelonging to that patient will be automatically selected withoutprompting for user selection. In yet another embodiment, the user is notprompted to select patients, but is only prompted to select exams from alist of all exams for all patients contained in the application serverdatabase 114.

When the user indicates that he/she has completed selecting, the user isprompted to select a production station from a list of productionstations 300A, 300B and 300C in step 162. The user is also prompted toenter additional label text to be printed as labels on the CDs to beproduced, to supplement the text printed according to the specificationof the label-printing file. The user can advantageously select theproduction station located closest to his/her office. In one embodiment,only one production station is connected to the application server 110,and the lone production station will be the selected production stationwithout prompting for user selection.

In one embodiment, the user is also prompted to select the number ofcopies of CDs to be produced. In another embodiment, the number ofcopies is set at one without prompting for user direction. As describedabove in connection with FIG. 3, in step 164, the application server 110sends a copy of the image data of the selected exams for the selectedpatients to the selected production station, along with a copy of theviewing program 112, and configuration data comprising a label-printingfile, additional label text, and a number indicating the number ofcopies of CDs to be produced. The production station 300A, 300B or 300Cthen produces one or more CDs containing the selected exams for theselected patients and the viewing program, with labels printed on top ofthe CDs according to the specification in the label-printing file andthe user-entered additional label text.

In another embodiment, a user accesses the application server database114 not from a browsing terminal 400A, 400B or 400C, but directly fromthe display terminal 118. In this embodiment the user directly proceedsfrom step 152. In this embodiment the user is typically a programmer oroperator of the image production system 100.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process of a user selecting and ordering theproduction of image data stored on the application server 110, with theadditional option of selecting and ordering the production of relateddata for comparative study. As described above in connection with FIG.4, a user connects to the application server 110 from a browsingterminal 400A, 400B or 400C in step 170. The user enters identificationinformation and a password in step 172. Step 174 determines whether theuser is authorized to access the application server database 114. Ifauthorized, the user is prompted to select a patient in step 176, andselects exams of the selected patient in step 178. The user is thenasked in step 180 if he/she desires to find related data of that patientfor comparative study.

If the user answers yes, the application server 110 then searches forrelated data. The application server 110 finds the image input deviceprofile table 120 profile record corresponding to the image input devicefrom which the selected data originates, identifies the list of PACSsystems stored in the “related data storage” field 254, and searchesthese PACS systems for related data. In another embodiment, once theuser has selected a patient/exam combination, the application server 110automatically searches for related data without asking for userdirection. In this embodiment, the application server 110 alerts theuser if related data are found. In one embodiment, the applicationserver 110 also searches the application server database 114 for relatedmedial image data.

Still referring to FIG. 5, the user is then prompted to select all orsome of the related data from the list of found related data forproduction, in step 184. In another embodiment, all found related dataare automatically selected by the application server 110 for production,without prompting for user selection.

The user is then prompted to select another patient in step 186. Afterthe user has completed selecting all patients, the user is prompted toselect a CD production station 300A, 300B or 300C in step 188. The useris also prompted to enter additional label text. In step 190, theapplication server 110 then sends a copy of the original and selectedrelated data, along with a copy of the viewing program 112, a numberindicating the number of copies to be produced, additional label text,and a label-printing file to the selected production station 300A, 300Bor 300C for production.

The above paragraphs describe the application server 110 with onedatabase 114 for image data storage. In another embodiment, theapplication server 110 includes two databases for image data storage: anew data database and a storage data database. The new data databasestores only the most recent batch of new data just received from theimage server 200. After the data in the new data database is sent to aproduction station 300A, 300B or 300C, the application server 110 erasesdata in the new data database. The storage data database stores all datathat has ever been received from the image server database 202. In theprocesses described by FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, a user selects images forproduction from the storage data database.

Several modules are described in the specification and the claims. Themodules may advantageously be configured to reside on an addressablestorage medium and configured to execute on one or more processors. Themodules may include, but are not limited to, software or hardwarecomponents that perform certain tasks. Thus, a module may include, forexample, object-oriented software components, class components,processes methods, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines,segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuitry, data,databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. Modules maybe integrated into a smaller number of modules. One module may also beseparated into multiple modules.

Although the foregoing has been a description and illustration ofspecific embodiments of the invention, various modifications and changescan be made thereto by persons skilled in the art, without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the followingclaims.

1. A medical data recording apparatus comprising: means for receivingmedical data information in DICOM format through a software module andparsing patient identification information and study information fromthe received medical data information, the medical data furthercomprising one or more files, means for storing the parsed patientidentification information and parsed study information, the storedparsed study information and patient information coming from the one ormore files, means for storing DICOM image information coming from theone or more files, means for noting the end of the received medical datainformation through the software module for each patient, means forcreating a job containing medical data for a patient, and medical dataimage viewing software, and means for providing print information for anautoloader control software, the print information having selectedfields obtained from an automatic scan of the stored parsed patientidentification information and the stored parsed study information,means for submitting the job to the autoloader control software, andmeans for recording said DICOM image information from the one or morefiles on a recording media, means for recording other files as definedby DICOM on the recording media, means for recording, on said recordingmedia in response to the job, the medical data image viewing softwareand the medical data and means for automatically printing the selectedfields of the automatic scan of the stored parsed patient identificationinformation and the stored parsed study information on the recordingmedia to label the recording media.
 2. The medical data recordingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the autoloader control software includesinstructions for moving the recording media from a recording position toa print position in response to a software instruction; and moving therecording media to an output bin in response to a software instruction.3. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 1, wherein theautoloader control software includes instructions for means for movingthe recording media from a recording position to a print position inresponse to a software instruction; and means for moving the recordingmedia to an output bin in response to a software instruction.
 4. Themedical data recording apparatus of claim 1 further comprising, meansfor backing up the medical data information on another recording media.5. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 1 further comprising,means for storing the job after the job has been created.
 6. The medicaldata recording apparatus of claim 5 further comprising, means fordeleting the job after submitting the job to the autoloader controlsoftware.
 7. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 1 whereinmeans for creating the job comprises means for utilizing a print filethat includes a print template and print merge data.
 8. The medical datarecording apparatus of claim 1 wherein means for noting the end of thereceived medical data for a patient comprises means for utilizing a timeout period.
 9. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 1 whereinmeans for recording on the recording media includes a CD-R.
 10. Themedical data recording apparatus of claim 1 wherein means for recordingon the recording media includes a disc having a format selected from agroup consisting of: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVDRAM.
 11. Themedical data recording apparatus of claim 1 wherein means for providingprint information for autoloader control software includes informationfrom the stored parsed study information, and wherein the means forautomatically printing selected fields includes information from thestored parsed study information.
 12. The medical data recordingapparatus of claim 1 further comprising means for loading, moving andrecording the recording media automatically.
 13. The medical datarecording apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means for automaticallyprinting includes means for printing a template includes using theautomatic scan, of the stored parsed patient identification informationand the stored parsed study information from the print-information. 14.The medical data recording apparatus of claim 1 further comprising meansfor automatically deleting patient information upon job completion. 15.The medical data recording apparatus of claim 1 further comprising meansfor automatically keeping patient information when backup is enabled.16. A medical data recording apparatus comprising: a processor; and aprinter operatively coupled to the processor, the processor providinginstructions that, when executed by the processor, causes the medicaldata recording apparatus to perform operations comprising: receivingmedical data information in DICOM format through a software module andparsing patient identification information and study information fromthe received medical data information, the medical data furthercomprising one or more files, storing the parsed patient identificationinformation and parsed study information, the stored parsed studyinformation and patient information coming from the one or more files,storing DICOM image information coming from the one or more files,noting the end of the received medical data information through thesoftware module for each patient, creating a job containing medical datafor a patient, and medical data image viewing software, and providingprint information for an autoloader control software, the printinformation having selected fields obtained from an automatic scan ofthe stored parsed patient identification information and the storedparsed study information, submitting the job to the autoloader controlsoftware, and recording said DICOM image information from the one ormore files on a recording media, recording other files as defined byDICOM on the recording media, recording on said recording media inresponse to the job, the medical data image viewing software and themedical data and automatically printing the selected fields of theautomatic scan of the stored parsed patient identification informationand the stored parsed study information on the recording media to labelthe recording media.
 17. The medical data recording apparatus of claim16, wherein the autoloader control software includes instructions formoving the recording media from a recording position to a print positionin response to a software instruction; and moving the recording media toan output bin in response to a software instruction.
 18. The medicaldata recording apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor providesinstructions further causing the medical data recording apparatus toperform operations comprising moving the recording media from arecording position to a print position in response to a softwareinstruction; and moving the recording media to an output bin in responseto a software instruction.
 19. The medical data recording apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein the processor provides instructions further causingthe medical data recording apparatus to perform operations comprisingbacking up the medical data information on another recording media. 20.The medical data recording apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processorprovides instructions further causing the medical data recordingapparatus to perform operations comprising storing the job after the jobhas been created.
 21. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 16,wherein the processor provides instructions further causing the medicaldata recording apparatus to perform operations comprising deleting thejob after submitting the job to the autoloader control software.
 22. Themedical data recording apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processorprovides instructions further causing the medical data recordingapparatus to perform operations comprising utilizing a print file thatincludes a print template and print merge data.
 23. The medical datarecording apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor providesinstructions further causing the medical data recording apparatus toperform the operation of noting the end of the received medical data fora patient uses a timer to produce a time out period.
 24. The medicaldata recording apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor providesinstructions further causing the medical data recording apparatus toperform the operation of recording on the recording media uses a CD-R.25. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 16, wherein theprocessor provides instructions further causing the medical datarecording apparatus to perform the operation of recording on therecording media uses a disc having a format selected from a groupconsisting of: CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVDRAM.
 26. A medicaldata recording apparatus comprising: means for receiving medical datainformation in DICOM format through a software module communicativelycoupled to a network, and means for extracting patient identificationinformation and extracting study information from the received medicaldata information, means for storing DICOM image information coming fromthe medical data information, means for storing the extracted patientidentification information and extracted study information, from themedical data information; means for automatically scanning the storedextracted patient identification information and the stored extractedstudy information for selected fields from one or more files, means fornoting the end of the received medical data information through thesoftware module for each patient, means for creating a job for a patientcontaining medical data, and medical data image viewing software, andmeans for providing print information for an autoloader controlsoftware, the print information having the selected fields obtained fromthe automatically scanning of the stored extracted patientidentification information and the stored extracted study information,means for submitting the job to the autoloader control software, andmeans for recording at least one DICOM image on a disc, means forrecording other files as defined by DICOM on the disc, means forrecording on the disc the job such that the medical data image viewingsoftware is recorded on the disc along with the medical data, and meansfor automatically printing the selected fields of the stored extractedpatient identification information and the stored extracted studyinformation, the selected fields used to label the disc.
 27. The medicaldata recording apparatus of claim 26, further including means forloading and moving the disc automatically.
 28. The medical datarecording apparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for receiving medicaldata information includes means for receiving a plurality of files atdifferent times.
 29. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 26,wherein the means for noting the end of the received medical data uses atimer to produce a time out period.
 30. The medical data recordingapparatus of claim 26, wherein the means for receiving medical datainformation includes means for receiving a plurality of patient filesfor different patients at different times.
 31. A medical data recordingapparatus comprising: a receiver to receive medical image information inDICOM format through a software module and to parse patientidentification information and study information from the receivedmedical data information, the medical data further comprising one ormore files, a first storage to store the parsed patient identificationinformation and parsed study information, the stored parsed studyinformation and patient information coming from the one or more files, afirst storage to store image information coming from the one or morefiles, a notation to note an end of the received medical datainformation through the software module for each patient, a creator tocreate a job containing medical data for a patient, and medical dataimage viewing software, and an output to provide print information foran autoloader control software, the print information including selectedfields obtained from an automatic scan of the stored parsed patientidentification information and the stored parsed study information, asubmitter to submit the job to the autoloader control software, and afirst recorder to record said medical image information from the one ormore files on a recording media, a second recorder to record other filesas defined by DICOM on the recording media, a third recorder to record,on said recording media in response to the job, the medical data imageviewing software and the medical data and a printer to automaticallyprint the selected fields of the automatic scan of the stored parsedpatient identification information and the stored parsed studyinformation on the recording media to label the recording media.
 32. Anon-transitory machine-readable medium providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operationscomprising: receiving medical data information in DICOM format through asoftware module and extracting patient identification information andstudy information from the received medical data information, themedical data further comprising one or more files; storing the extractedpatient identification information and extracted study information, thestored extracted study information and patient identificationinformation coming from the one or more files; storing DICOM imageinformation coming from the one or more files; noting the end of thereceived medical data information through the software module for eachpatient; creating a job containing medical data for a patient, andmedical data image viewing software; and providing print information foran autoloader control software, the print information having selectedfields obtained from an automatic scan of the stored extracted patientidentification information and the stored extracted study information;submitting the job to the autoloader control software; recording saidDICOM image information from the one or more files on a recording media;recording other files as defined by DICOM on the recording media;recording on said recording media in response to the job, the medicaldata image viewing software and the medical data; and automaticallyprinting the selected fields of the automatic scan of the storedextracted patient identification information and the stored extractedstudy information on the recording media to label the recording media.33. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 32 providinginstructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising: associating a serial numbering device forassociating a serial number with the recording media; and storing themedical information associated with the serial number and the associatedrecording media in a searchable format.
 34. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 32 providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operationscomprising: receiving medical information in the form of a DICOM filefor a plurality of one or more patients, the medical informationincluding images, patient identification information and studyinformation; sorting the medical information based on patient identity;storing at least one DICOM file associated with a patient on therecording media; and automatically labeling the recording media, thelabel including at least a portion of selected medical information, theportion of the selected medical information associated with the contentof the at least one DICOM file stored on the recording media.
 35. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 32 providinginstructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine toperform operations comprising: associate a serial numbering device forassociating a serial number with the recording media; and storing themedical information associated with the serial number and the associatedrecording media.
 36. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim32 providing instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause themachine to perform operations comprising storing the information on saidrecording media at another memory location.
 37. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 36 providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operationscomprising associating a unique identifier with the recording media andwith the information at another memory location.
 38. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 36 providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations whereinstoring the information on said recording media at another memorylocation is part of backing up the medical data information.
 39. Anon-transitory machine-readable medium providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operationscomprising: receiving medical data information in DICOM format through asoftware module and parsing patient identification information and studyinformation from the received medical data information, the medical datafurther comprising one or more files, storing the parsed patientidentification information and parsed study information, the storedparsed study information and patient identification information comingfrom the one or more files, storing DICOM image information coming fromthe one or more files, noting the end of the received medical datainformation through the software module for each patient, creating a jobcontaining medical data for a patient, and medical data image viewingsoftware, and providing print information for an autoloader controlsoftware, the print information having selected fields obtained from anautomatic scan of the stored parsed patient identification informationand the stored parsed study information, submitting the job to theautoloader control software, and recording said DICOM image informationfrom the one or more files on a recording media, recording other filesas defined by DICOM on the recording media, recording on said recordingmedia in response to the job, the medical data image viewing softwareand the medical data and automatically printing the selected fields ofthe automatic scan of the stored parsed patient identificationinformation and the stored parsed study information on the recordingmedia to label the recording media.
 40. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 39 providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations whereinthe recording media is loaded, and moved automatically.
 41. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 39 providinginstructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine toperform operations wherein the label for the recording media includesselected logos, trademarks or images.
 42. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 39 providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations whereinthe receiving medical data information includes receiving a plurality offiles at different times.
 43. The non-transitory machine-readable mediumof claim 39 providing instructions that, when executed by a machine,cause the machine to perform operations wherein the noting the end ofthe received medical data comprises utilizing a time out period.
 44. Thenon-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 39 providinginstructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine toperform operations wherein the receiving medical data informationincludes receiving a plurality of patient files for different patientsat different times.
 45. The non-transitory machine-readable medium ofclaim 39 providing instructions that, when executed by a machine, causethe machine to perform operations comprising storing the information onsaid recording media at another memory location.
 46. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 45 providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operationscomprising associating a unique identifier with the recording media andwith the information at another memory location.
 47. The non-transitorymachine-readable medium of claim 45 providing instructions that, whenexecuted by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations whereinstoring the information on said recording media at another memorylocation is part of backing up the medical data information.
 48. Anon-transitory computer readable media formed by a method comprising:receiving medical data information in DICOM format through a softwaremodule and parsing patient identification information and studyinformation from the received medical data information, the medical datafurther comprising one or more files, storing the parsed patientidentification information and parsed study information, the storedparsed study information and patient identification information comingfrom the one or more files, storing DICOM image information coming fromthe one or more files, noting the end of the received medical datainformation through the software module for each patient, creating a jobcontaining medical data for a patient, and medical data image viewingsoftware, and providing print information for an autoloader controlsoftware, the print information having selected fields obtained from anautomatic scan of the stored parsed patient identification informationand the stored parsed study information, submitting the job to theautoloader control software, and recording said DICOM image informationfrom the one or more files on the computer readable media, recordingother files as defined by DICOM on the computer readable media,recording on said computer readable media in response to the job, themedical data image viewing software and the medical data andautomatically printing the selected fields of the automatic scan of thestored parsed patient identification information and the stored parsedstudy information on the computer readable media to label the computerreadable media.
 49. The non-transitory computer readable media formed bythe method of claim 48, wherein the autoloader control software includesinstructions for moving the computer readable media from a recordingposition to a print position in response to a software instruction; andmoving the computer readable media to an output bin in response to asoftware instruction.
 50. A medical data recording apparatus comprising:means for receiving medical data information in DICOM format through asoftware module and parsing patient identification information and studyinformation from the received medical data information, the medical datafurther comprising one or more files, means for storing the parsedpatient identification information and parsed study information, thestored parsed study information and patient identification informationcoming from the one or more files, means for storing DICOM imageinformation coming from the one or more files, means for noting the endof the received medical data information through the software module foreach patient, means for creating a job containing medical data for apatient, and medical data image viewing software, and means forproviding print information for an autoloader control software, theprint information having selected fields obtained from an automatic scanof the stored parsed patient identification information and the storedparsed study information, means for submitting the job to the autoloadercontrol software, and means for recording said DICOM image informationfrom the one or more files on a recording media, means for recordingother files as defined by DICOM on the recording media, means forrecording, on said recording media in response to the job, the medicaldata image viewing software and the medical data means for automaticallyprinting the selected fields of the automatic scan of the stored parsedpatient identification information and the stored parsed studyinformation on the recording media to label the recording media andmeans for storing information related to said DICOM image informationfrom the one or more files recorded on said recording media at anotherstorage location.
 51. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 50comprising means for associating a unique identifier with the recordingmedia and with the information stored at another storage location. 52.The medical data recording apparatus of claim 50 wherein storing theinformation related to said DICOM image information recorded on saidrecording media is part of a back up system.
 53. A medical datarecording apparatus comprising: means for receiving medical datainformation in DICOM format through a software module communicativelycoupled to a network, and means for extracting patient identificationinformation and extracting study information from the received medicaldata information, means for storing DICOM image information coming fromthe medical data information, means for storing the extracted patientidentification information and extracted study information, from themedical data information; means for automatically scanning the storedextracted patient identification information and the stored extractedstudy information for selected fields from one or more files, means fornoting the end of the received medical data information through thesoftware module for each patient, means for creating a job for a patientcontaining medical data, and medical data image viewing software, andmeans for providing print information for an autoloader controlsoftware, the print information having the selected fields obtained fromthe automatically scanning of the stored extracted patientidentification information and the stored extracted study information,means for submitting the job to the autoloader control software, andmeans for recording at least one DICOM image on a disc, means forrecording other files as defined by DICOM on the disc, means forrecording on the disc the job such that the medical data image viewingsoftware is recorded on the disc along with the medical data, means forautomatically printing the selected fields of the stored extractedpatient identification information and the stored extracted studyinformation, the selected fields used to label the disc, and means forstoring information related to said DICOM image information from the oneor more files recorded on said disc at another storage location.
 54. Themedical data recording apparatus of claim 53 comprising means forassociating a unique identifier with the disc and with the informationstored at another storage location.
 55. The medical data recordingapparatus of claim 53 wherein storing the information related to theinformation recorded on said disc at another storage location is part ofa back up system.
 56. A medical data recording apparatus comprising: areceiver to receive medical data information in DICOM format through asoftware module and to parse patient identification information andstudy information from the received medical data information, themedical data further comprising one or more files, a first storage tostore the parsed patient identification information and parsed studyinformation, the stored parsed study information and patientidentification information coming from the one or more files, a secondstorage to store image information coming from the one or more files, anotation to note an end of the received medical data information throughthe software module for each patient, a creator to create a jobcontaining medical data for a patient, and medical data image viewingsoftware, and an output to provide print information for an autoloadercontrol software, the print information including selected fieldsobtained from an automatic scan of the stored parsed patientidentification information and the stored parsed study information, asubmitter to submit the job to the autoloader control software, and afirst recorder to record said medical data information from the one ormore files on a recording media, a second recorder to record other filesas defined by DICOM on the recording media, a third recorder to record,on said recording media in response to the job, the medical data imageviewing software and the medical data printer to automatically print theselected fields of the automatic scan of the stored parsed patientidentification information and the stored parsed study information onthe recording media to label the recording media, and a third storagewhere information related to the information recorded on said recordingmedia is stored.
 57. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 56further comprising a number generator for producing a serial number andassociating the serial number with the information recorded on therecording media and associating the serial number with the informationstored at the third storage.
 58. The medical data recording apparatus ofclaim 56 wherein the third storage is remote from the recording media.59. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 56 further comprisinga serial numbering device for associating a serial number with therecording media, the medical data recording apparatus including a memoryfor associating a serial number with the information stored on therecording media having the serial number.
 60. The medical data recordingapparatus of claim 59 wherein the memory stores the serial number andinformation associated with the serial number is a searchable database.61. The medical data recording apparatus of claim 56 further comprising:a serial numbering module for associating a serial number with therecording media; and a memory for associating a serial number with theinformation stored on the recording media having the serial number as asearchable database.
 62. A medical data recording system for use with adisc writer comprising: parsing software module operatively configuredto: (i) receive medical data on a network, (ii) identify an end of thereceived medical data for a patient, (iii) parse patient identificationinformation and study information from the received medical data, (iv)store the parsed patient identification information and parsed studyinformation; job processing software module operatively configured tocreate a job containing medical data, medical data viewing software, andmerge data having the stored parsed patient identification informationand the stored parsed study information; and autoloader control softwaremodule operatively configured to instruct the disc writer to: (i) recorda disc based on the job such that the medical data viewing software isrecorded on the disc along with the medical data within the job, and(ii) print the stored parsed patient identification information and thestored parsed study information on the disc based on the merge datawithin the job.
 63. The medical data recording system of claim 62wherein the received medical data comprises DICOM formatted information.64. The medical data recording system of claim 62 wherein the parsingsoftware module comprises instructions for processing the receivedmedical data to comply to DICOM standards
 65. The medical data recordingsystem of claim 62 wherein the parsing software module comprisesinstructions utilizing a time out period to identify the end of thereceived medical data for the patient.
 66. The medical data recordingsystem of claim 62 wherein the parsing software module comprisesinstructions to store the parsed patient identification information andthe parsed study information in a database.
 67. The medical datarecording system of claim 65 wherein the job processing software modulecomprises instructions for: (i) retrieving the parsed patientidentification information and the parsed study information stored inthe database when creating the job, and (ii) storing job information inthe database.
 68. The medical data recording system of claim 62 whereinthe job processing software module comprises instructions for storingthe job after the job has been created.
 69. The medical data recordingsystem of claim 62 wherein the job processing software module comprisesinstructions for deleting the job after the autoloader control softwaremodule has completed instructing the disc writer to record the disc. 70.The medical data recording system of claim 62 wherein the autoloadercontrol software module comprises instructions to print the storedparsed patient identification information and the stored parsed studyinformation on the disc by printing a label for the disc containing thestored parsed patient identification information and the stored parsedstudy information on the label.
 71. The medical data recording system ofclaim 62 wherein the autoloader control software module comprisesinstructions to print on the disc indicia identifying the producer ofthe disc.
 72. The medical data recording system of claim 62 furthercomprising a backup software module operatively configured to backup themedical data on a backup disc.
 73. A medical data recording systemcomprising: a computer operatively coupled to a medical imaging devicethrough a communication network, the computer comprising: a parsingsoftware module operatively configured to: (i) receive medical data fromthe medical imaging device through the network, (ii) identify an end ofa particular patient's data within the received medical data, (iii)parse patient identification information and study information from thereceived medical data, (iv) store the parsed patient identificationinformation and parsed study information; and a job processing softwaremodule operatively configured to create a job containing medical data,medical data viewing software, and merge data having the stored parsedpatient identification information and the stored parsed studyinformation; and a disc writer operatively coupled to the computer toreceive the job, comprising: a recorder operatively configured to recorda disc based on the job such that the medical data viewing software isrecorded on the disc along with the medical data within the job; and aprinter operatively configured to print the stored parsed patientidentification information and the stored parsed study information onthe disc based on the merge data within the job.
 74. The medical datarecording system of claim 73 wherein the disc writer further comprisesan autoloader operatively configured to place the disc in the recorderand move the disc to the printer in response to receiving a job from thecomputer.
 75. The medical data recording system of claim 74 wherein theautoloader comprises a mechanism to place the disc in an output trayafter the disc recording and printing operations are complete.
 76. Themedical data recording system of claim 73 wherein the recorder of thedisc writer utilizes a CD as the disc.
 77. The medical data recordingsystem of claim 73 wherein the recorder of the disc writer utilizes aformat for the disc selected from a group consisting of: CDR, CDRW,DVD-R, DVD-RW, and DVDRAM.
 78. The medical data recording system ofclaim 73 wherein the printer of the disc writer comprises a labelprinting mechanism operatively configured to print the stored parsedpatient identification information and the stored parsed studyinformation on a label on the disc based on the merge data within thejob.
 79. The medical data recording system of claim 73 wherein theprinter of the disc writer comprises a mechanism operatively configuredto print on the disc indicia identifying the producer of the disc. 80.The medical data recording system of claim 73 wherein the receivedmedical data comprises DICOM formatted information.
 81. The medical datarecording system of claim 73 wherein the parsing software module of thecomputer comprises instructions for processing the received medical datato comply to DICOM standards.
 82. The medical data recording system ofclaim 73 wherein the parsing software module of the computer comprisesinstructions utilizing a time out period to identify the end of thereceived medical data for the patient.
 83. The medical data recordingsystem of claim 73 wherein the parsing software module of the computercomprises instructions to store the parsed patient identificationinformation and the parsed study information in a database.
 84. Themedical data recording system of claim 83 wherein the job processingsoftware module of the computer comprises instructions for: (i)retrieving the parsed patient identification information and the parsedstudy information stored in the database when creating the job, and (ii)storing job information in the database.
 85. The medical data recordingsystem of claim 73 wherein the job processing software module of thecomputer comprises instructions for storing the job after the job hasbeen created.
 86. The medical data recording system of claim 73 whereinthe job processing software module of the computer comprisesinstructions for deleting the job after the autoloader control softwaremodule has completed instructing the disc writer to record the disc. 87.The medical data recording system of claim 73 wherein the computerfurther comprises a backup software module operatively configured tocreate a backup job including the medical data and send the backup jobto the disc writer such that the backup job may be utilized by the discwriter to generate a backup disc.
 88. A non-transitory machine-readablemedium providing instructions that, when executed by a machine, causethe machine to perform operations comprising: receiving medical datainformation in DICOM format through a software module and extractingpatient identification information and study information from thereceived medical data information, the medical data further comprisingone or more files; storing the extracted patient identificationinformation and extracted study information, the stored extracted studyinformation and patient identification information coming from the oneor more files; storing DICOM image information coming from the one ormore files; noting the end of the received medical data informationthrough the software module for each patient; creating a job containingmedical data for a patient, and medical data image viewing software; andproviding print information for an autoloader control software, theprint information having selected fields obtained from an automatic scanof the stored extracted patient identification information and thestored extracted study information; submitting the job to the autoloadercontrol software; recording said DICOM image information from the one ormore files on a recording media; recording other files as defined byDICOM on the recording media; and automatically printing the selectedfields of the automatic scan of the stored extracted patientidentification information and the stored extracted study information onthe recording media to label the recording media.